Another referendum on Britain’s EU membership could see Brexit reversed if it is held today, according to a new poll.
The vast majority of all voters say they would prefer to rejoin the EU.
What is striking is that among Generation Z, who were too young to have participated in the 2016 referendum, support for overturning the UK’s decision to sever ties with Brussels is two to one.
The public sees Brexit as making pretty much everything worse, from the economy to immigration, the cost of living to the NHS, wages, exports and the UK’s position abroad – including the hopes that Scotland and Northern Ireland will remain in the union.
Although Brexit has receded amid public concern, a second referendum appears likely at some point.
The findings of a study by Redfield & Wilton follow Sir Keir Starmer’s moves to strengthen the UK’s links with the EU.
Despite being a strong opponent of Brexit, the Prime Minister has made it clear that he has no intention of reconsidering the decision taken by a 52-48 majority in a referendum eight years ago.
“I have been really clear about not rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union or going back to free movement,” Sir Kier told reporters in Wales two days before the general election in July.
“I also think we can get a better deal than the failed deal of the Boris Johnson era, on the trade front, on research and development and on security.”
Sir Keir’s supporters say a second referendum would be divisive and a distraction from his main goal of fixing public finances and public services.
Other prominent figures in the Labour Party were more outspoken.
In an interview Independent Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Brexit was a failure and had triggered “unprecedented mass migration”, says editor-in-chief Geordie Greig.
The Redfield & Wilton survey offers a new glimmer of hope to those who say Brexit has not been a success.
The proportion of those who say they would vote to rejoin the EU if a new referendum were held today is 56 percent.
This includes nearly a quarter (23%) of those who voted Leave in 2016.
In total, 44% say they would vote Remain, including 17% who voted Remain eight years ago.
In fact, the number of people wanting to rejoin has been even higher in the past. It has fallen by five percentage points since June, before the election.
A total of 61 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, which includes Gen Z, will vote to re-enter. Only 28 percent will vote to stay out.
There is similar support for re-entering the EU among those aged 25 to 44. Support for staying out of the EU is strongest among those over 55.
More than half of voters (52%) want a new Brexit referendum within five years, compared with 73% of those who voted to remain in the EU in 2016.
The rate of those who oppose the second referendum is 34 percent.
For the first time since Redfield & Wilton began conducting such polls in 2021, voters think another referendum is likely within the next 10 years.
While 34 percent said they expected a second referendum within ten years, 31 percent disagreed.
Regardless of whether people want another referendum, they believe that things have gotten worse in the UK as a direct result of Brexit.
When asked whether the economy would have been stronger or weaker without Brexit, 43 percent said it was weaker, while 22 percent said it was stronger.
When questions were asked in similar terms on a wide range of topics, the same picture of a Brexit-induced decline emerged:
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39% said immigration was higher because of Brexit, while 21% said immigration was lower
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The percentage of those who say the cost of living is higher is 58%, while the percentage of those who say it is lower is 18%.
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31 percent said wages were lower, while 18 percent said wages were higher
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41% said the UK made it harder for them to sell goods abroad, while 17% said it made it easier
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Forty percent said the UK had less influence on the world stage, while 21 percent said the UK had more influence.
The poll suggests voters believe they have been misled by Brexit campaigners such as Boris Johnson, who toured the country on a red bus with the slogan that the NHS will receive £350m more a week after Britain leaves the EU.
While 45% of people say the NHS has deteriorated as a result of Brexit, only 13% say it has improved.
When asked whether Brexit has had a positive or negative impact on the UK so far, 34 percent of respondents said negative and 31 percent said positive.
Voters see Brexit as increasing the likelihood of Scotland becoming independent at some stage and Northern Ireland joining the Republic of Ireland.
Although the poll results on Brexit were mostly negative, 35 percent of respondents said Brexit gave the UK more say over its own affairs, while 30 percent said it gave the country less say, in line with the Brexit supporters’ slogan of “take back control.”
And less than a quarter see Brexit as an “extremely” important issue.
On the other hand, although its current impact is seen as negative, 38 percent of respondents believe that Brexit will have positive consequences for the UK in the future, while 33 percent think it will have negative consequences.
While 44 percent said they saw the 2016 referendum as the final word on Brexit, 40 percent said they did not believe the referendum resolved the issue.
“The survey results are certainly positive in favour of ‘re-engagement’, but they are not definitive,” said Philip van Scheltinga of Redfield & Wilton.
“While the vast majority of voters are disappointed with Brexit, they have other priorities in mind.
“It is the government’s responsibility to decide whether seeking to change the UK’s relationship with the EU is compatible with these higher priorities.”
Mr Van Scheltinga questioned whether Sir Keir wanted to use his “hard-earned political capital” to reopen the Brexit debate and risk getting “seriously bogged down” in it.
Redfield & Wilton interviewed 2,000 adults in the UK online on 19 August.